Jordan Kasteler is a seasoned professional and a Digital Marketing consultant specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing.
Here’s what Jordan Kasteler had to say about his company and the future of digital marketing:
For those who aren’t familiar with you and your company, please tell us a little more about your company
I’m a self-employed marketing consultant specializing in SEO site audits & migrations, PR, and overall marketing strategy. http://www.jordankasteler.com
Do you think the future of SEO depends only on interactive content ?
SEO has changed it’s definition over time and now encompasses broader marketing strategies and tactics. In the future, as tech changes, SEO will continue to morph at light speed. To say it’ll only depend on interactive content would be short-sighted as there’ll still be a place for popularity metircs (e.g. downloads, engagement, shares, links) but interactivity will be a key component. The moving target will be cross-device/platform interactive content that works in a multitude of fashions based on user context.
The role of SEO keeps on changing after every Google update. Do you think SEO is the right term anymore?
As of right now, SEO is still a good term for what it is but we see it being wrapped up in more encompassing terms like “inbound”, “digital”, etc. Google, itself, will change signifcanlty in the future. I don’t foresee them being a search portal but more of an integrated life experience of information delivery. At that point, when they move away from a “search engine” SEO will definitely be an irrelevant term.
The Google algorithm has evolved over the years. Do you think it really benefits small businesses?
People complain about big brands dominating the organic SERPs, and this is true, but SMBs still dominate the local pack results which trump organic listings. For SMBs with no local presence they definitely have a hard time going up against big brands. This has changed over time though. We’ve seen big brand updates benefit brands and then change to benefit a level playing field. The point here is that we shouldn’t get used to how things are now. I do think SMBs have the competitive advantage of being able to move content marketing and SEO initiatves quicker than large corporations that have to fight beuracratic red tape.
How do SEO clients behave these days? Do you think their knowledge and awareness of SEO increased?
I’m always in shock how knowledge of SEO, especially up-to-date knowledge, is lacking with businesses. However, the term “SEO” is now commonplace with businesses.
There are now only four Ads on top of the SERPs. Do you think Adwords is the only way to appear above the fold? What are your thoughts on the Google Monopoly?
Well there’s also entity listings, knowledge graph, local packs, etc that rank about the fold too. So if you’re using structured data, answering common questions, or have a local business you still can rank above the fold. If you’re #1 organically this is another way you’ll be above the fold and an increased importance on top rankings. Keep in mind that it’s important to have the right title/description to gain clicks over just ranking position.
